Lunch Today: Pork, Shrimp, and Watercress Wontons at Tasty Dumpling

A frequent special at Tasty Dumpling, these wontons have become my new bread and butter. They're made with the same ridiculously juicy pork that goes into their potstickers, but crisp-tender shrimp and bright greens make the texture and flavor light and plenty interesting. The skins are perfect for wontons: thin and delicate (not mushy), with just enough substance to make their presence known. While they don't quite reach the ethereally light and juicy heights of White Bear's wontons in hot oil, they're a wonderful example of the form.

At Tasty Dumpling, they come in a quart of soup for $4.50. The broth is inconsistent: pleasantly light some days and way too salty on others. A good amount of simmered cabbage amps up the flavor, but you could really just spoon out the excellent wontons for a reasonable, if light lunch. You can also buy them frozen to go ($12 for 50). Boil the frozen dumplings for about eight minutes and toss them with some chili oil and black vinegar. It's a lunch of champions that tastes way too good to be convenience food.

As a native of Queens, New York, Max developed an early hunger for dosas, dumplings, and Korean barbecue. Now he explores the city's evolving international food world by day and night. When not slurping noodles over a rickety table, he's in the kitchen tinkering with his ice cream maker on a never-ending quest to develop the best ice cream-making techniques.

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